A user equipment (UE) may be configured to establish a connection to at least one of a plurality of different networks or types of networks to perform a variety of different functionalities via the connection. For example, the UE may connect to different types of networks (e.g., cellular network, WiFi network, etc.) to exchange data. In another example, the UE may connect to different network technology types (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, legacy network, 5G network, etc.) to exchange data at different operating parameters associated with the network technology type. In a further example, the UE may be configured to connect to different regional networks such as a home network while not roaming or a visited network while roaming.
The UE may be associated with a carrier who provides cellular service while the UE is connected to a home network in a home country. The carrier may also have roaming agreements with one or more foreign carriers who provide cellular service in a foreign country. Thus, when the UE enters the foreign country, through the roaming agreement, the UE may enter a roaming state and establish a connection to a foreign network of a foreign carrier. While connected to the foreign network, the UE may utilize the available network technology types and exchange data.
When the carrier has a roaming agreement with multiple foreign carriers in the foreign country, the carrier may prioritize which foreign carrier is to be used by the UE when roaming in the foreign country when more than one foreign network associated with a respective foreign carrier is available. For example, the UE may be connected to a first foreign network that has a lower priority and then may detect a second foreign network that has a higher priority. Due to the prioritization, the UE may perform a handover to select the second foreign network. However, in instances when the connection to the first foreign network is actively being used, the handover may cause a negative user experience. For example, the UE may experience interruptions. In another example, the UE may connect to the second foreign network using a network technology type that is relatively worse than the network technology type used with the first foreign network.